Scope and Content: In response to a request from the state secretary dated Apr. 16, 1832, the towns and districts of Massachusetts and the city of Boston filed returns documenting expenses in surveying their territory as required by Resolves 1829, c 50 (1830).
Notes: Formerly part of: Miscellaneous collection, box 75
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Scope and Content: From the establishment of the first turnpike commission in the Commonwealth (St 1796, c 5), legislation required corporations building toll roads and bridges to file annually an account of expenses with the state secretary and a report of income and expenses with the governor.  The state secretary maintained these filings.
Arrangement: Arranged chronologically
Notes: Formerly part of: Miscellaneous collection, box 11
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Scope and Content: St 1692-93, c 36 mandated the language of the royal writ issued to each county sheriff in the Province of the Massachusetts Bay for initiating the process of selecting representatives to the legislature, the sheriff’s subsequent precept to town selectmen, their return indicating representative chosen, and town constable’s statement that the one chosen had been notified (see: Massachusetts archives collection ((M-Ar)45X), v. 48, p. 206-208).  Series includes for each locality (generally as a single document) signed and sealed sheriff’s precept (Aug. 1693) ordering election for the Sept. 27, 1693 General Court session, selectmen’s return, and constable’s statement. –The September session did not take place for lack of a quorum; another was called for Nov. 8, 1693.  In that session legislation (St 1693-94, c 14) imposed penalties for future neglect of duties in the elections process by sheriffs, selectmen, constables, or representatives. –For returns from 1778-1866 (i.e., for the State of the Massachusetts Bay and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts) see: Returns of votes for state representatives ((M-Ar)197X)
Arrangement: Arranged alphabetically by county
Notes: The state secretary, who currently has constitutional and statutory responsibilities for elections in Massachusetts, has preserved corresponding records from earlier periods
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Scope and Content: The state secretary holds constitutional and statutory responsibilities for elections.  Returns of votes for representatives in the Massachusetts General Court were transmitted by municipalities to the secretary.
Arrangement: Arranged chronologically by year, thereunder by county, and then alphabetically by municipality or district
Notes: Returns from 1864 missing
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Scope and Content: The state secretary holds constitutional and statutory responsibilities for elections.  Returns of votes for senators in the Massachusetts General Court were transmitted by municipalities to the secretary on printed forms supplied by the secretary’s office and bound into volumes.
Arrangement: Arranged chronologically by year, thereunder by county, and then alphabetically by municipality
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Scope and Content: The proprietors of the Charles River Bridge (St 1784, c 53) and of the Warren Bridge (St 1827, c 127) were empowered to erect bridges over the Charles River and to collect tolls until such time as the cost for building the bridges was recovered and the bridges surrendered to the Commonwealth.  St 1832, c 170; St 1833, c 219; and St 1835, c 155 began the legal process of transfer for the Warren Bridge.  St 1841, c 88 called for similar arrangements to buy out the proprietors of the Charles River Bridge.  The act called for the repair of the Charles River Bridge and the Warren Bridge and for responsibility for the bridges to be turned over to Boston and Charlestown.  Tolls for both bridges continued until the Commonwealth received reimbursement for the repair.  The statute required quarterly reports of receipts and expenditures and annual reports to be sent to the legislature by agents appointed by the governor and on the advice of commissioners also appointed by him.  The state secretary maintained these and other financial records of the corporations and the governor’s agents in this series. –Financial records include returns of receipts and expenditures for the Warren Bridge, schedule of bills, accounts of the agent, vouchers (1828-1841), recommendations for repairs to the Warren Bridge by the agent and commissioners, and petitions for repairs (1841); recommendations for repairs to the Charles River Bridge, returns of expenditures, accounts of the agent, and vouchers (1841-1849).
Arrangement: Arranged chronologically
Notes: Formerly part of: Miscellaneous collection, boxes 48-49
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Scope and Content: As early as the seventeenth century, the Massachusetts legislature provided pensions to soldiers wounded or disabled while in military service. Throughout the Revolutionary War, pensions continued to be issued at the state level to members of the Continental Army, as authorized by the Continental Congress. In addition, Massachusetts also provided post-war bonuses (bounties) in the form of monetary payment or a grant of land in Maine to veterans meeting certain requirements. Because so few individuals were disabled in service or qualified for bounties, the state granted pensions or bounties to only several hundred individuals. From 1789 pensions were funded by the federal government, from 1792 new pensions were administered by it, and from 1806 veterans of state troops and militia were also eligible. From 1818, Congress expanded pension eligibility for Revolutionary War service beyond invalidism, adding thousands to the rolls. However, to qualify, veterans often needed to obtain certificates of service from the state.
Arrangement: Arranged alphabetically by surname
Notes:  Discovered in 1929 by J.S. Allen, Clerk of the U.S. District Court and deposited at the Archives. Contents: Box 1: A-G. Box 2: H-P. Box 3: R-Y
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Scope and Content: As early as the seventeenth century, the Massachusetts legislature provided pensions to soldiers wounded or disabled while in military service. Throughout the Revolutionary War, pensions continued to be issued at the state level to members of the Continental Army, as authorized by the Continental Congress. In addition, Massachusetts also provided post-war bonuses (bounties) in the form of monetary payment or a grant of land in Maine to veterans meeting certain requirements. Because so few individuals were disabled in service or qualified for bounties, the state granted pensions or bounties to only several hundred individuals. From 1789 pensions were funded by the federal government, from 1792 new pensions were administered by it, and from 1806 veterans of state troops and militia were also eligible. From 1818, Congress expanded pension eligibility for Revolutionary War service beyond invalidism, adding thousands to the rolls. However, to qualify, veterans often needed to obtain certificates of service from the state.
Arrangement: Arranged alphabetically by name
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Scope and Content: As early as the seventeenth century, the Massachusetts legislature provided pensions to soldiers wounded or disabled while in military service. Throughout the Revolutionary War, pensions continued to be issued at the state level to members of the Continental Army, as authorized by the Continental Congress. In addition, Massachusetts also provided post-war bonuses (bounties) in the form of monetary payment or a grant of land in Maine to veterans meeting certain requirements. Because so few individuals were disabled in service or qualified for bounties, the state granted pensions or bounties to only several hundred individuals. From 1789 pensions were funded by the federal government, from 1792 new pensions were administered by it, and from 1806 veterans of state troops and militia were also eligible. From 1818, Congress expanded pension eligibility for Revolutionary War service beyond invalidism, adding thousands to the rolls. However, to qualify, veterans often needed to obtain certificates of service from the state.
Notes: Transferred to Archives by unidentified donor
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Scope and Content: The state secretary, as record keeper for Massachusetts, was during the early years of the Commonwealth periodically directed by the legislature in various efforts to preserve, arrange, and inventory public records and state papers.  Series consists of schedules and lists of records produced as the result of such efforts, up to the time of the organization of these materials into what is now known as the Massachusetts archives collection ((M-Ar)45X), by Joseph B. Felt and others, pursuant to legislative resolves of the General Court from 1836 and later years (see item (10) below).  Ten such lists have been identified, represented here either by the originals, or, in the case of those already belonging to other record series, by photocopies.  Accompanying each item are photocopies of enabling legislation and/or other relevant documentation.
Arrangement: Arranged chronologically
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